Interferometry at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Prepare to See the Universe in HD!
Astronomical interferometry uses a cost-effective, sparse array of comparatively small mirrors, rather than a single very expensive (and, at some point, impossible-to-produce) large mirror, to achieve high angular resolution observations. At Goddard, we're developing interferometry missions to image and study a wide variety of objects, at wavelengths ranging from the X-ray through the UV and optical and into the infrared. Potential targets include the surfaces of stars, the event horizons of black holes, extrasolar planets, high-redshift galaxies, protoplanetary disks, and many other targets of interest. The science enabled encompases a broad range of topics, including stellar magnetic activity, the development of a truly predictive solar/stellar dynamo model, the influence of the central stars in exoplanetary systems on the habitability of their planets, co-evolution of galaxies and their central supermassive black holes, the formation of stars and planets and the development of habitable conditions, characterization of exoplanet atmospheres and exozodi material around nearby stars, and the study of the cores and surrounding environments of AGN.
A sampling of NASA-GSFC's Space Interferometry Mission Concepts
GSFC interferometry mission concepts in development
- AE: The Accretion Explorer (X-ray, 0.7-1.2 keV, 1.5-2.5 keV, 6-7 keV; NIAC)
- AeSI: Artemis-enabled Stellar Imager (UV/Optical, 1200-6600 A; NIAC)
- SI: Stellar Imager (UV/Optical, 1200-6600 A)
- FKSI: The Fourier-Kelvin Stellar Interferometer (mid-IR, 3-15 microns)
- SPICE: Space Interferometer for Cosmic Evolution (far-IR, 25-400 microns)
